1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electrical connectors and, in particular, to connectors for electrically coupling communication equipment to electrical devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical devices, such as personal computers (PCs), laptop computers, portable computers, notebook computers, palmtop computers, cellular telephones, personal information managers (PIMs) and personal data assistants (PDAs), are becoming increasingly dependent upon their ability to electrically communicate or share information with other electrical devices. To facilitate this electrical communication, a variety of different types of electrical couplers have been developed. In general, these electrical couplers include a plug and a corresponding jack. The jack typically includes an aperture or socket and when the plug is inserted into the jack, an electrical connection is established.
These known electrical couplers are frequently designed for use with devices such as cards that are made in accordance with standards established by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA). These cards, often referred to as PC cards, can be designed to perform a variety of different functions and a circuit board located within the card provides the necessary circuitry to perform the intended function. For example, the PC card may allow the device to receive and transmit information over the telephone lines. Alternatively, the PC card may allow the device to receive and transmit information over a network system such as a local area network (LAN).
PC cards have become increasingly used in portable computers because the cards are ready interchangeable and they have a small size. Additionally, PC cards are very popular because they allow a user to relatively quickly and easily link a computer to a modem and obtain information and data from a remote computer. Thus, users can transmit and receive data from various locations, such as at home, during business meetings, on vacation, while traveling, in satellite offices, etc.
In general, PC cards have a thin, elongated structure which is inserted into an opening or slot in the body of a computer. The PC cards have a connector at one end which is configured to be coupled to the computer and the other end of the card has a connector configured to be coupled to communication equipment such as a telephone line. Typically, a standard RJ-11 telephone jack is used to connect a telephone line to the PC card. These PC cards are typically designed to be readily connected or removed from the electrical device.
In greater detail, as shown in FIG. 1, a conventional adaptor assembly 10 connects a telephone line 12 to a portable computer 14. In greater detail, the adaptor assembly 10 includes an electrical connector plug 16 that is inserted into an input/output (I/O) connector 18 of a PC card 20 and a line 22 that connects an external module 24 to the connector plug 16. The external module 24 includes a housing 26 with an aperture 28 configured to receive an RJ-11 type telephone jack 30 connected to the telephone line 12. Disposed within the PC card is a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides the necessary circuitry to perform the intended function of the PC card.
Disadvantageously, the adaptor assembly 10 is awkward to use because it requires the use of both the PC card 20 and the separate structure including the plug 16, line 22 and module 24 (often referred to as the "dongle"). The dongle is required for connecting the adaptor assembly 10 to the telephone line 12 and if it is lost, misplaced or damaged by the user, the connection to the telephone line cannot be established. If the dongle is lost or damaged, this results in unnecessary delay and expense because a new dongle must be purchased or the damage dongle repaired. Additionally, because the dongle is separate from the PC card, it requires additional space and it is susceptible to being dislodged from the computer. Further, the dongle is aesthetically displeasing and it is subject to being damaged or broken because it is a separate component that is external to the computer.
Another conventional jack used for connecting a PC card to a telephone line is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,404 issued to Aldous, et al. and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The Aldous patent, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a PC card 32 with a slidable thin plate 34. The plate 34 includes an aperture 36 adapted to receive a telephone jack and a plurality of short contact pins are rigidly mounted to the thin plate. Each contact pin has a first end that is freely exposed within the aperture and an opposed second end mounted to the plate. A flexible wire ribbon has a first end that is soldered to the second end of the contact pins and an opposing second end that is soldered to contacts on the circuit board within the PC card. The thin plate 34 can selectively slide between an extended position and a retracted position. In the extended position, as shown in FIG. 2, the aperture 36 is exposed such that an RJ-11 telephone plug can be inserted. The plug pushes against the contact pins to establish electrical communication between the plug, contact pins, flexible wire ribbon and the PC card. When not in use, the thin plate 34 is retracted within the PC card 32 and the aperture 36 is not exposed.
As shown in FIG. 3, another known device used to attach a standard telephone jack to a PC card is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/271,620, filed Mar. 17, 1999, listing Oliphant et al. as inventors and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The Oliphant application discloses a PC card 40 that includes a physical/electrical modular connector 42 which is configured to physically and electrically couple a media plug, such as RJ-11 standard telephone jack, to the PC card. More specifically, the jack is mounted to a slide plate that is movable between an extended position wherein an aperture configured to receive a telephone jack is exposed and a retracted position wherein the slide plate is positioned within an opening in the PC card. The jack includes a number of pins which are configured to be electrically connected to a plug inserted into the opening. The pins are electrically connected to the PC card when the jack is in the extended position and the pins are insulated from electrical communication with the PC card when the jack is in the retracted position.
Another conventional device used to connect a PC card to a telephone line is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,811 issued to Homic. The Homic patent discloses an RJ-11 telephone socket that is physically and electrically connected to a PCMCIA modem card that it is recessed a predetermined distance "X" within the computer housing. The telephone socket and the modem card are mechanically and physically connected by a connector block. The connector block includes a body portion that is mounted flush to the exterior surface of the computer enclosure. The connector also includes an end cap that protrudes downwardly and outwardly from the body portion. The end cap has a thickness "X" that is the same as the predetermined distance "X" that the modem card is recessed into the computer so that the exterior surface of the modem card is flush with the outer surface of the computer housing. Disadvantageously, this device requires that the modem card be recessed a predetermined distance "X" inside the body of the computer and it allows only RJ-11 telephone jacks to be connected to the modem card. Thus, the modem assembly cannot be coupled to other communication systems. Additionally, because the RJ-11 telephone socket is integrally connected to the modem card and both the PC card and the connector block are recessed inside the computer, the socket is not readily replaceable, interchangeable or repairable.
Another conventional device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,607 issued to Dittmer. The Dittmer patent discloses a PCMCIA card structure this is inserted into a dual PCMCIA card slot. The structure includes an attachment section that is removably connected to the PCMCIA card and a support body that is secured to the attachment section. The attachment section has a shape similar to the PCMCIA card and this section is positioned in a parallel, facing and closely adjacent relationship with the PCMCIA card. The attachment section forms an electrical interface connection between the PCMCIA card and an external device or system. The Dittmer patent, however, only provides socket openings in the attachment section for a standard RJ-11 telephone jack and a standard cellular telephone connector plug. Thus, because the device can only be connected by standard plugs to a conventional telephone system and a cellular telephone system, its usefulness is limited.